A Beautiful Voice
by Gensomaden-Saiyuki
Summary: [SasuSaku] After the chuunin exams, Kakashi treats Team 7 for a vacation in a beach...
1. Sakura's thoughts

After having the chuunin exams, Team 7 was treated on a vacation to a beach for 3 days and 3 nights by who else? Their sensei, Hatake Kakashi.  
  
On their way to the beach...  
  
"Yeah!!! We're going to the beach!!! Finally, after a long and tiring chuunin exams, a vacation at last!!! Isn't this going to be great?! We're all chuunins and we get a vacation!!!" Naruto exclaimed.  
  
Sakura really felt bad, thinking that she doesn't deserve a vacation because she was still a genin. Her team mates are now chuunins. Kakashi, their sensei, was of course, a skilled jounin and was known all over Konoha. But her... Nothing. A genin with a big forehead. She wanted to punch Naruto on the head for being so noisy but she might get teased that she's a genin. She just sighed and held up a weak smile.  
  
Sasuke is now prepared to take his revenge on Itachi and search for power. The curse was sealed temporarily by Kakashi, so for now, he can use his chakra. Orochimaru's and Itachi's faces flashed in his head. He clenched his fist and thought, _I'll get them for this!  
  
_Naruto is still hyper. He still loves ramen and is a bit boastful that he's a chuunin now and it will be easy for him to become Hokage. Sasuke just rolls his eyes away from Naruto, Kakashi just sweatdrops and Sakura just looks in a distance, thinking of something else better whenever they hear him say that.  
  
Kakashi... erm... He still likes reading Come Come Paradise. And there's not much of a change in him.  
  
"We're here!" Kakashi said as they reached the beach, "We'll be staying in our own cottages. Don't worry, we'll be living just right next door or something like that if ever you want to talk about something."  
  
"Okay. Uhm... I'll go to mines now." Sakura said as she left them. The others just looked at her walk away and they followed her.  
  
The four cottages were supposed to be small but the beach's caretakers told them that this is a special treat for those who entered the Preliminary Matches in the chuunin exams – winners or losers. They also say that this special treat also includes their senseis. Sakura found a key in the mailbox just on the left side of the doorknob and opened the door. She was fascinated by the look of the special cottage. On the first floor, there's a huge living room which includes one sofa and two comfortable armchairs. Plus, a small, elliptical, glass table and a flat screen T.V. The kitchen was also big. A dining table with ten seats can be also seen.  
  
Sakura carried her luggage to the second floor which was filled with many doors. Upstairs... 3 bedrooms, 1 master bedroom, and 2 bathrooms. She opened the room with two wooden, white sliding doors. She entered the master bedroom, with a queen-sized bed, a big lampshade, a black piano, a desk, a white cabinet, a white bedside table, a pink bean bag chair and two blue transparent sliding doors, covered with a pink curtain that leads to the balcony.  
  
She opened the two sliding doors and examined the view. The wind gently touched her face and she savored the great feeling. She sighed and smiled. There was a window near her bed. She moved the curtains only to see that Sasuke was her neighbor and she can see him changing his clothes through his window. She blushed a bit and covered her window with the small pink curtains.  
  
_I shouldn't think about that right now._ She thought, _I should focus more on becoming a chuunin soon. Maybe I have to abandon having a crush on HIM, too. Just for a while..._  
  
She began to arrange her things...Meanwhile, Naruto is dragging Kakashi and Sasuke to swim with him.  
  
"SAKURA-CHAN!!!" Naruto shouted, "GET DOWN HERE!!! LET'S SWIM!!!"  
  
Sakura approached her balcony only to see that the three males are only wearing boxers (but Kakashi has that mask on his face still) and she said, "Erm, I have something else to do. I'll just... Uhm, catch up with you guys. Ah... Have fun!" But the truth is, she's staying away from Sasuke. The three of them are much higher than her. Her team mates are chuunins, her sensei is well-known for his skills but what about her? She's a big-foreheaded genin, that's what. No specialty. 'The girl' in Team 7. At least... That's what she thinks of herself. 


	2. My Immortal

"Oh... Okay. See ya!" Naruto replied. He dragged Kakashi and Sasuke into the waters. Sakura can still see them, she just sighed and grabbed a book, began reading.  
  
It was already late in the afternoon when Naruto and the others went back to their cottages. And this time, Sakura went outside still wearing the same clothes and she wore some slippers.  
  
The sky was almost velvet, with the touch of red orange on it. She removed her slippers and walked through the shore. The waters touched her feet and the warm breeze passed by her carnation pink hair and her smooth but lonesome face. She stopped walking and looked at the horizon. It was sunset. She sat on the shore and watched. Sakura brought her legs to her chest and placed her arms around it.  
  
Sasuke was also watching the magnificent sunset but he was standing on his balcony and he noticed Sakura was sitting on the shore.  
  
A tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away. _What? Why am I crying? Is it because that it's hard to abandon Sasuke-kun? Or is it because I'm the weakest among them? Why do I feel so... so... Sad? Why am I not in my jolly state like always? Why don't I have all the answers that I want? I'm smart but... why can't I answer these kind of questions?_  
  
The sun disappeared in the horizon and the stars started to appear. The sky was shaded into dark blue and in the horizon, there was a touch of red. Sakura wiped her tears away and sighed. She smiled to herself so she can get rid of all her thoughts. Still holding that weak smile, she stood up and wore her slippers then hugged herself as the cold breeze made its way. She went inside her cottage soon after the crescent moon started to glow.  
  
Sasuke was still standing at the balcony after observing Sakura. _She's avoiding us, or is she? Just what the hell is HER problem?_  
  
He just sighed with a little bit of annoyance and got away from his balcony. He went out for a walk. Anyway, in Sakura's cottage... Sakura sat on the chair near the piano. She took a deep breath and sighed.  
  
But before Sasuke could go far, he heard melody. He turned only to see that Sakura was playing her piano through her balcony. While playing the piano, she sang...

"I'm so tired of being here

Suppressed by all my childish fears

And if you have to leave

I wish that you would just leave

Coz' your presence still lingers here

And it won't leave me alone

These wounds won't seem to heal

This pain is just too real

There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears

And I held your hand through all of these years

But you still have…

All of me…

You used to captivate me by your resonating light

Now I'm bound by the life you left behind

Your face it haunts

My once pleasant dreams

Your voice it chased away

All the sanity in me

These wounds won't seem to heal

This pain is just too real

There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears

And I held your hand through all of these years

But you still have…

All of me…

I tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone

But though you're still with me

I've been alone all along

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears

And I held your hand through all of these years

But you still have…

All of me…"

Tears made their way down Sakura's cheeks after singing the song, My Immortal. She wiped her tears and lied down on her bed.


	3. Darn Rain

Sasuke still looked at Sakura's balcony. He also saw that Sakura cried. I didn't know she had a beautiful voice. He thought, This is my first time to hear her sing. And I just noticed that she stopped trying to get my attention and she wasn't herself lately. Just what is her problem?  
  
The next day...  
  
Sakura woke up only to see that it was all gray outside. It was raining pretty hard. She got dressed up and brushed her hair. Then, she went outside with no jacket or umbrella. She easily got wet. She walked to a small forest and started throwing shurikens and kunais.  
  
"I think you should practice some other time, Sakura." A voice said.  
  
"Yeah? And what makes you think that?" she replied, throwing kunais to trees.  
  
"It's raining pretty hard you know. You might catch some cold." Kakashi replied, appearing in a puff of smoke. He was wearing his usual uniform and he was holding a red umbrella and on the other hand, he was reading Come Come Paradise.  
  
"Ah, Kakashi-sensei! What brings you here?" Sakura asked, looking at her teacher.  
  
"I was checking up on the others. I knocked on your door but there was no answer and I heard your weapons hitting trees so I knew you were here. Anyway, as I said, this is not the right time for practice. We're here to relax for the meanwhile. You can train as soon as we leave this beach, okay? And don't feel so low, you're still one of my students."  
  
"So you knew my problem." She said as she threw a shuriken on a branch of a tree and it fell.  
  
"Of course I would. Sasuke told me you were not yourself lately so we did figure out your problem. Because you're only a genin, right?"  
  
Sakura panted for a while and continued, "So if you knew my problem, Sasuke and Naruto knows about it, too?"  
  
"I did tell you, only Sasuke and I knew your problem. If we ever tell your conflict to Naruto, he would be bothering you and you would be pretty moody."  
  
Sakura suddenly sneezed, "Excuse me."  
  
"Forget about our conversation. What did I tell you? There, you caught a cold. Let's go back to your cottage." He told her as he placed his book in his pocket and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
  
They walked to her cottage and she reached her doorstep. Sakura smiled weakly and said, "Arigato, Kakashi-sensei. I can manage from here."  
  
"Well, okay." He answered and left. Sakura opened her door and went to her room. She grabbed a red towel and went downstairs. Got a basin and filled it with hot water. She made herself a cup of hot chocolate. Sakura also placed her towel on her shoulders and dipped her feet into the lukewarm water and sipped some hot coco. 


	4. Everytime

After that, Sakura took a bath and dressed up. She brushed her hair and opened the two doors that lead to her balcony. The balcony wasn't wet since there was a roof protecting it. The cold winds began to enter and surrounded her room. Next door, Sasuke was also standing in his balcony, thinking about revenge.  
  
"Rain... It makes me feel more depressed." Sakura whispered to the breeze, "Maybe it's because of THAT memory..."  
  
Flashback  
  
"Sasuke-kun, please quit now!" Sakura told Sasuke. It was the Preliminary matches for the chuunin exams. Sasuke placed a hand on Orochimaru's curse and stared at Sakura who was wiping her tears. She continued, "If you don't quit now... your wound will... will..." But she cannot continue. She stopped crying as soon as they all listened to what the proprietor for the Preliminary matches is saying.  
  
Sakura started to slowly raise her hand but Sasuke caught her. He tightened his grip on her wrist and stared at her coldly, saying, "Don't let the officials know about this! I won't quit, you heard that? No one gets in my way, not Naruto, not Kakashi-sensei or even YOU, Sakura. I can do this on my own."  
  
He released his grip and continued, "I joined this chuunin exams to know if I'm strong enough to beat my brother, Itachi. I've already gone this far now, and there's no way I must back out. After all, I AM a ninja made for revenge."  
  
End of Flashback  
  
Sakura sat infront of the piano and uncontrollable tears started to flow out from her eyes and she murmured, "I... just... have to focus more on becoming a chuunin now. I must abandon giving all my best to get the attention of Sasuke-kun... I mean, what's the point of doing that? He doesn't like me at all... And... What do I get back once I get his attention?... Nothing but a cold glare, that's all... And why am I shedding these tears? Nothing will be returned to me if I just weep and weep for him... After all, he IS a ninja made for revenge." Sakura wiped her tears and took a deep breath. She started to play a tune and sang,  
  
"Notice me, take my hand Why are we strangers when Our love is strong Why carry on without me  
  
Everytime I try to fly, I fall Without my wings, I feel so small I guess I need you, baby And everytime I see you in my dreams I see your face, it's haunting me I guess I need you, baby  
  
I make believe that you are here It's the only way I see clear What have I done You seem to move on easy  
  
And everytime I try to fly, I fall Without my wings, I feel so small I guess I need you, baby And everytime I see you in my dreams I see your face, you're haunting me I guess I need you, baby  
  
I may have made it rain Please forgive me My weakness caused you pain And this song's my sorry  
  
At night I pray That soon your face will fade away  
  
And everytime I try to fly, I fall Without my wings, I feel so small I guess I need you, baby And everytime I see you in my dreams I see your face, you're haunting me  
  
I guess I need you, baby" 


	5. Finale

Sakura's lonely song didn't land on unheard ears. Every single tune and every single word she sang fascinated Uchiha Sasuke who was standing on his balcony. He looked at Sakura's balcony and there she was, the pink-haired, emerald-eyed girl was wiping away her helpless tears.  
  
The next day...  
  
It was the last day of their vacation, it's a good thing that it was a sunny day – well, for Naruto. They all woke up past noon already, and began to take their lunch.  
  
Naruto was eating ramen in his cottage and he went out and dragged Kakashi, Sasuke and finally, Sakura to the waters. The boys were still wearing nothing but boxers while Sakura was wearing a red bathing suit and a pink towel was covering her waist all the way upto five inches above her knee. She didn't plunge into the cold waters like Naruto and Kakashi, she took a walk at the shores. Sasuke was nowhere to be found as soon as Kakashi and Naruto dived in.  
  
Sakura looked as if she was thinking of something deep.  
  
"Sakura-chan! You can swim with us!" Naruto exclaimed. She jerked her head up and looked at Naruto and said, "Hai."  
  
They swam for nearly three hours. The sky was now dashed with a reddish orange color and Sakura got out of the water first. She wiped her body with the towel she had earlier and again, tied it to her waist.  
  
"Where's she going?" Naruto asked Kakashi who was on the shore, reading Come Come Paradise. "I've no idea. Naruto, you better get out of there now, it's almost high tide." Kakashi replied. Sakura walked absent-mindedly that she already reached the small forest where she trained yesterday.  
  
"And what brings you here?" a voice asked. She jerked her head and placed a hand on her forehead. She shook her head twice and infront of her, she saw Sasuke was lying on the grass, only wearing boxers and was staring at the beautiful sunset sky. His hands were behind his head and he glared at Sakura. Sakura didn't know where she was but she replied,  
  
"I must be walking absent-mindedly. Sorry to bother you."  
  
"Your problems, right?"  
  
"I know you know my problems. It's just better off if I just answer it myself, you know." She said as she sat away from him with her legs on her chest and she hugged herself.  
  
"I only noticed it now... Did you know that you have a beautiful voice?"  
  
Her eyes widened as soon as he said those words.  
  
"You've been listening to me?!"  
  
"Sakura... Look, I'm sorry if I was sort of harsh at you back at the chuunin exams."  
  
"N... No you weren't. I'm just such a worry girl, that's all."  
  
Sasuke stood up and genuflected infront of Sakura and she leaned her head on her knees, she was crying again. He held her chin up and gazed into her watery green eyes. With his strong hands, he gently wiped away her tears.  
  
"Sasuke-kun, what are you doing?"  
  
"I don't like to see a woman like you crying."  
  
"..."  
  
Sasuke bent closer and pressed his lips on hers. Sakura's eyes widened. He hugged her tight and she closed her eyes and hugged him. She kissed him back and they looked at each other's eyes.  
  
"Sakura, this is the only time I noticed that I actually loved you." Sasuke told her as soon as they broke the kiss but was still in each other's arms, "I love you."  
  
Sakura's smile was brought back and he smiled at her, too. They kissed again as the sun disappeared in the horizon... 


End file.
